Humanity Rising
Humanity Rising is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs a youth empowerment platform providing high school students with service opportunities, anti-bullying programs, and scholarships, funded through corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and DAF grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Humanity Rising does
Humanity Rising is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 46-2302334), founded in 2013 and headquartered in the Chicago metropolitan area (Lake Zurich, IL), that operates a youth empowerment platform connecting high school students with service opportunities, anti-bullying programming, and scholarship awards. The organization's core product is a Service Scholarship Program in which students submit service stories in writing or video to compete for scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500+, supplemented by a portfolio of programs including the VOICES podcast series, the Anti-Bullying Program (with the Behind the Screen cyberbullying curriculum and Race To Speak Up initiative), the Humanity Rising Film Festival hosted at Wayfarer Theater Highland Park and screened in a 3D Metaverse Theater, the Journey to Self mental health program, Spiritual Empowerment Circles, and the Take a Stand civic engagement program delivered with the Illinois Holocaust Museum.
The technology stack is digital-first but relies on conventional web platforms, virtual event tooling, and the third-party InnerView platform for student registration, service-hour tracking, and scholarship administration. The Call It Out interactive game, developed in partnership with Trance4mation Games, represents the most differentiated proprietary product and is central to the 2026 RISE UP Challenge. Programs are free for students and delivered primarily through school partnerships (notably Chicago Public Schools, with 162+ high schools) and a network of student ambassadors who lead programming, host podcasts, and recruit peers.
Humanity Rising is funded through individual donations, Donor-Advised Fund grants (Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable), cryptocurrency donations, and corporate sponsorships. Corporate partner programs include branded service challenges, scholarship sponsorships at defined tiers ($5,000 Inspiration to $25,000+ Visionary for the CEO RiseUp Challenge), and employee engagement opportunities for partners such as Comcast NBC Universal, Discover, CIBC, Verizon, US Cellular, Ulteig, Zurich Insurance, Wintrust Bank, MSUFCU, and Equity Residential. The organization operates with a small core team (11-50 employees) supported by a board of directors, advisors, student ambassadors, and volunteers.
Humanity Rising firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Humanity Rising
- Legal name
- Humanity Rising, Inc.
- Website
- https://humanityrising.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Humanity Rising is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs a youth empowerment platform providing high school students with service opportunities, anti-bullying programs, and scholarships, funded through corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and DAF grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Humanity Rising industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Development Nonprofit Programs
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (6117), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Student Engagement & Belonging Initiatives (EDALABAJ)
Keywords
Where Humanity Rising is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Humanity Rising business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Humanity Rising accepts donations from individuals through its website, with options for one-time and recurring contributions. Crypto donations are also accepted with tax deduction benefits.
- Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships: Corporate partners sponsor programs, scholarships, and events. Tiers range from $5,000 Inspiration Level to $25,000+ Visionary Level for the CEO RiseUp Challenge, with matching donation options.
- Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Grants: Accepts DAF grants from Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, and community foundations.
- Film Festival Sponsorships: Film festival partnerships with presenting partners at $50,000, impact partners at $25,000, inspiration partners at $10,000, and changemaker partners under $10,000.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Humanity Rising product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Humanity Rising operates a student-led movement platform that empowers high school and college-aged youth to create social impact through service projects, anti-bullying programs, podcast storytelling, film festival submissions, mental health programs, and civic engagement curricula. Students earn scholarships ($500-$2,500+) for service stories submitted via the InnerView platform, and corporate partners engage through branded service challenges, anti-bullying assemblies, and scholarship sponsorship under the CEO RiseUp Challenge.
Product overview
Humanity Rising is a student-led movement that builds the next generation of leaders and social innovators through a platform of interconnected programs. The core offering centers on a Service Scholarship Program where students submit service stories for scholarship consideration, supported by podcast series (VOICES Podcasts), anti-bullying initiatives (Anti-Bullying Program with Behind the Screen curriculum and Race To Speak Up), the Humanity Rising Film Festival with 3D Metaverse Theater screenings, mental health programs (Journey to Self), and Spiritual Empowerment Circles. The 2026 RISE UP Challenge with the Call It Out interactive game enables anti-bullying engagement with scholarship rewards. REEL Changemakers serves as a youth storytelling platform. Corporate partners can engage through company-branded challenges, speaking engagements, and scholarship sponsorship via the CEO RiseUp Challenge. All programs are tied together through the InnerView platform for student registration and service tracking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Humanity Rising Film Festival: Film festival celebrating stories that embody virtues—the qualities that create a more compassionate, kind, and united world.
- RISE UP Challenge
- Take a Stand
- VOICES Podcasts
- Journey to Self
Products and services
- Humanity Rising Service Scholarship Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 93% of students report deeper, more meaningful conversations after program participation
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Humanity Rising
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Humanity Rising technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature4 records
Humanity Rising partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and standard.
- Illinois Holocaust MuseumcorePartnership to offer virtual tours and Take a Stand civic engagement program to youth, exploring human and civil rights history and challenges today.
- Institute of Economics and PeacecorePartnership for Positive Peace Curriculum focusing on peacebuilding and social justice education.
- Stand for the SilentcorePartnership to bring Kirk Smalley's powerful anti-bullying assembly (featured in the film Bully) to students virtually. Kirk has shared his story with over 1.5 million students.
- Trance4mation GamescorePartnership to develop the Call It Out interactive anti-bullying digital game for students.
- Comcast NBC UniversalmajorCorporate partner supporting youth empowerment and social impact programs.
- Discover Financial ServicesmajorCorporate partner awarding scholarships to outstanding young changemakers. Melissa P. presented scholarships at virtual award ceremony.
- CIBCmajorCorporate partner hosting Inclusion & Diversity events with Humanity Rising Ambassadors speaking about bullying impact.
- US CellularmajorCorporate partner celebrating company culture of inclusion through RISE UP Challenge and employee story sharing.
- VerizonmajorCorporate partner supporting youth service and empowerment initiatives.
- UlteigmajorCorporate partner with branded Service Challenge awarding four $1,000 scholarships. Building talent pipeline of future leaders.
- Equity ResidentialstandardCorporate partner supporting youth empowerment programs.
- MSUFCUstandardCorporate partner supporting youth empowerment programs.
- Wintrust BankstandardCorporate partner supporting youth empowerment programs.
- Zurich InsurancestandardCorporate partner with employee volunteer program reviewing student service stories.
- Wayfarer StudioscoreCo-hosting film festivals at Wayfarer Theater Highland Park. Steve Sarowitz is a partner in Wayfarer Studios and co-producer of Clouds documentary.
- Northwestern UniversitystandardAcademic partner supporting youth programs.
- Amita HealthstandardHealthcare partner supporting youth wellness and mental health programs.
- Chicago Public SchoolscorePrimary school district partner reaching 100,000+ students in 162+ high schools with anti-bullying and service programs.
- Open Mind HealthcorePartnership for Mindful Connections Podcast Series offering expert insights on emotional resilience and self-care.
- InnerViewcorePlatform partnership for student engagement, service tracking, event discovery, and scholarship administration.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Humanity Rising competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Ashoka: Global network supporting young social entrepreneurs and changemakers. Comparable on the youth changemaker and scholarship/career-development thesis.
- Points of Light: Established volunteerism and service nonprofit with corporate partner programs and youth service tracks. Comparable in mission and corporate-engagement model, but operates at a much larger scale across all ages.
- Common Sense Media: Leading nonprofit providing media/digital literacy and online-safety education for kids and schools. Comparable on the cyberbullying-prevention curriculum (Behind the Screen) and school-district channel.
- City Year: Large youth-service nonprofit deploying AmeriCorps members to schools for student engagement and anti-bullying support. Comparable on the school-based youth-leadership model and corporate funding mix.
Direct peers
- STOMP Out Bullying: Direct anti-bullying nonprofit delivering school-based programs, student-led initiatives, and awareness campaigns. Most directly comparable on the anti-bullying core and school-district delivery model.
- DoSomething.org: Large youth-activism nonprofit running service campaigns, scholarships, and impact programs for teens. Highly comparable to Humanity Rising on the student-service-plus-scholarship model and target demographic.
- PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center: Long-standing national bullying prevention center providing school curriculum, educator toolkits, and student programs. Comparable on anti-bullying curriculum (Behind the Screen) and school-district channel.
- The Jed Foundation: Nonprofit protecting teen and young-adult mental health, including LGBTQ+ mental health. Comparable on the Journey to Self / CALM youth mental-health programs and student-segment focus.
- Youth Service America (YSA): National nonprofit focused on youth volunteering, service-learning, and grants for young people. Closely matches Humanity Rising's service-learning + scholarship + youth-led model.
- Born This Way Foundation: Lady Gaga-co-founded nonprofit focused on youth mental health, kindness, and anti-bullying programming. Comparable on the anti-bullying + youth mental-health thesis (Journey to Self) and corporate/brand partnerships.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Humanity Rising social profiles
Digital presenceHumanity Rising financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Humanity Rising leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
Humanity Rising funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Humanity Rising M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Humanity Rising
What does Humanity Rising do?
Humanity Rising operates a student-led movement platform that empowers high school and college-aged youth to create social impact through service projects, anti-bullying programs, podcast storytelling, film festival submissions, mental health programs, and civic engagement curricula. Students earn scholarships ($500-$2,500+) for service stories submitted via the InnerView platform, and corporate partners engage through branded service challenges, anti-bullying assemblies, and scholarship sponsorship under the CEO RiseUp Challenge.
Is Humanity Rising a public or private company?
Humanity Rising is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Humanity Rising founded?
Humanity Rising was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Humanity Rising based?
Humanity Rising is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Humanity Rising make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships, donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Grants and film Festival Sponsorships.
Who are Humanity Rising's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Ashoka, Points of Light, Common Sense Media and City Year. Direct peers are STOMP Out Bullying, DoSomething.org, PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center, The Jed Foundation, Youth Service America (YSA) and Born This Way Foundation.
Does Humanity Rising have an API?
No public API is recorded for Humanity Rising.
What industry is Humanity Rising in?
Humanity Rising's product category is Youth Development Nonprofit Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAE, College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits, with a secondary code of BPAGADAK, Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.